Better Than Boys
by TheGreenEyedIdiot
Summary: When Ron outs Ginny in front of the whole of Hogwarts she isn't particularly happy, but she soon discovers there are perks to being out and proud. Perks that are blonde and sexy and called Charlotte. Sort of AU - Dumbles and Tonks aren't dead. Femmeslash!
1. First Impressions

**Greetings, creatures of the deep!**

**New story inspired mainly by over-watching very adorable lesbian films (Better Than Chocolate anyone? But I'm a Cheerleader?). I'm not sure how this will pan out, it's my first published story with a main lesbian storyline (I say published because there are countless others languishing on my desktop, never to be seen by human eyes). Anyway, wish me luck. All criticisms are welcome, all praise is welcome.**

**Cool.**

It would be fair to say that Ginny Weasley did not fall in love easily. It would also be fair to say that she was sexually adventurous by Hogwarts standards. Ideas to this effect were bandied about by the Hogwarts populace – they weren't particularly revolutionary statements – but gossip to this effect was not, as Ginny thought it would be, what caused the whole school to discover that Ginny was gay. No; in true Weasley fashion that was announced rather publicly at breakfast early in the school year, 1999. Frustrated by her youngest brothers' stubborn obliviousness to her sexuality, Ginny had perhaps hinted a little to strongly and-

"YOU'RE A HOMO! Ginny! You're an honest-to-Merlin bloody muff muncher!" Ronald Weasley's strident tones washed over the Great Hall, broke over the staff table and echoed back with a distinct "YOU'RE A HOMO!" that repeated itself into silence.

Ginny slid very, very low in her seat.

Not necessarily the gradual approach she had planned but at least it made it easier to explain to Harry why she was about to break up with him. Coincidentally Potter's face was visible from Ginny's position nearly underneath the Gryffindor table. It was partially obscured by a towering plate of bacon but Ginny could see it had taken on roughly the same colour as her bowl of porridge, and his mouth was hanging unattractively slack. A wave of mild repulsion washed over her and Ginny reassured herself that it was nothing personal, just males in general.

Hermione, showing rather more composure owing to the fact that she had guessed Ginny's sexual orientation three years ago, extricated Ron and Harry from their seats (Ron had recovered enough to snatch a sausage on his way) and directed them towards the doors with an encouraging shove. At Hermione's insistent look Ginny climbed slowly out from under the table and to her feet, and the hush that had fallen over breakfast was broken by the sound of one unusually annoying Ravenclaw male muttering to his equally annoying friend "I can't believe she's a lesbo- she's definitely too hot." Fortunately a girl Ginny knew from her Potions class was sitting next to him and swiftly elbowed a jug of milk into his face.

The girl glanced at Ginny and winked, ignoring the dairy-sodden boy beside her. Ginny grinned and straightened up, emboldened by this support and by the fact that Dumbledore had turned a curiously blind eye to the whole incident, and strode towards the doors.

Harry and Ron were waiting out in entrance hall. Harry's face had progressed from porridge grey to more of a beige, so Ginny turned her immediate attention to Ron, who had apparently finished his sausage and looked a bit at loss as to what to do with his hands.

"Yo." Ginny said lightly, reaching the pair.

Ron shoved his hands into his pockets. "Alright Gin? Sorry about the, er-"

"Outing me? To the whole school?"

"Yeah, that. I, er, blimey I'm sorry I just… Merlin's balls Gin, how can you be a dyke?"

Ginny chose to be obtuse. "Pretty easily."

Harry frowned, "Be serious Gin, since when? How do you know? How can you be sure? You're going out with me!" he ran his hand through his dishevelled hair, "And last time I checked, I was definitely male."

Ginny rolled her shoulders to relieve a pain in her neck. "Since always, Harry. I just had no idea what was going on. And that's like asking you how you can be sure you're straight. You just know. And, yes, I was going out with you," Harry took note of the past tense with by scrunching his nose up. "I'm really, really sorry about that. It's harder than it looks being a lesbo, I think I just didn't want to ruin everyone's expectations so soon after Fred-"

Ron held up a hand to stop her. "Right. Alright. So what does this mean? You're gonna be dating girls now? Are you going to be sleeping with girls? Do you have a girlfriend already? Who knows? Merlin, Gin, _does mum_-?"

"Yes, I bloody hope so, no and no one." Ginny finished rather bitterly, "Apart from that massive hall full of people you just informed." She nodded at the Great Hall.

Ron looked sheepish again, but slightly more comfortable. "I really am very bloody sorry, Gin. C'mere." He pulled Ginny in for a one-armed hug. "I s'pose it doesn't matter if you're really sure. If anyone calls you anything nasty I have no problem with punching people."

Ginny turned to Harry. He looked resigned, but he too pulled Ginny in for a quick hug. "Yeah, me too. No worries."

And that was that. Other than being outed to nearly everyone she knew, Ginny thought, it had been a fairly successful day.

**R&R, chaps. Cheers :)**


	2. Better Than Anything Else

**Hola, wow, thanks for the reception, guys :3 danke for all the favouriting, no reviews yet but I'm sure y'all are just biding your time. And that's cool with me. **

**Seriously.**

** So in response to your awesomeness I'm sticking up another chapter so fast I can't even understand how I did it. So yeah, cool.**

**Love you!**

The next day in Potions Ginny sat alone. Instead of taking her usual place among slightly nervous Gryffindors, she sat a couple of rows back and to the left, ending up in the friendlier middle of the classroom where social Ravenclaws and Gryffindors mixed.

Or, she sat alone for a couple of minutes. A large stack of books, a cauldron and a heavy-looking black bag thumped onto the desk beside her, and Ginny looked up to see the jug-elbowing girl from yesterday.

As Ginny watched the girl retrieved her wand from where she had it clamped between her teeth, and smiled.

"Mind if I sit here?" She gestured vaguely with one hand while pulling out her chair with the other and collapsing into it without waiting for a reply. The girl sat sprawled in her chair, legs apart in a slightly boyish way, with one elbow resting on the back of her chair. She shoved herself around so she was directly facing Ginny and smiled as though very pleased to see her. After a moment the girl tipped her head to the side and raised one eyebrow very slightly.

"Fancy a change of scene," she jerked her head at Ginny's usual area with the rest of the Gryffindors. "Or were you just looking for good company?" She grinned broadly as though she had just thought something very cheeky.

Ginny hooked her ankle around the chair leg and thought for a moment.

"I came for the scenery but I'm willing to stay for the company," without really knowing why, Ginny stuck her hand out to shake. "I'm Ginny Weasley."

The girl glanced at Ginny's outstretched hand with amusement, but joined it quickly with her own.

"I know; you're the honest-to-Merlin muff muncher." She smiled, "I'm Charlie Shelley, very nice to meet you." Charlie shook her hand briskly and firmly - the kind of handshake Ginny's father approved of. Somehow this reassured her.

"I am indeed." Ginny's lip curled ruefully, "I can't fault my darling brother for eloquence."

Charlie laughed, "Well," she tipped her chair forward towards Ginny, "one muff-muncher to another, I rather enjoyed that little spectacle. It broke up the monotony of a Tuesday quite nicely."

Ginny giggled, and covertly took in Charlie's appearance again. The short, boyish blonde hair. The very small amount of makeup and the slightly masculine way she used her hands. "It was no trouble, let me know if you ever want a repeat performance - by the way, thanks for taking care of the prat sitting next to you."

Charlie looked surprised, but pleased. "What? Oh, that was nothing, he's an annoying twat, it happens all the time. The trick is just to ignore the milky wanker."

Ginny sniggered, earning herself a glance from Slughorn who had begun the lesson. She shoved a fist in her mouth to muffle the sound and Charlie helpfully whacked her on the back.

"I've got no idea what's wrong with her, Professor," Charlie said, wide-eyed at Slughorn as he again glanced their way. "I think she might be choking."

Slughorn merely shook his head and carried on with the lesson, Ginny's giggles eventually subsided and Charlie resumed tipped her chair back, whispering random observations to Ginny and generally being a very, very annoying human.

Annoying human she may be, but Charlie proved to be an ideal potions partner. They were starting to make polyjuice potion, and the delicate first stages were the make-or-break of the potion. Charlie was not only very clever, but very laid back. She didn't get stressed or try to do the whole thing herself – although the day's task probably would have been completed much faster and to a higher standard if she had. She was also very easy to talk to, but seemed much more interested in talking about Ginny than herself.

By the end of the double period Ginny was in a very good mood, having enjoyed potions more than she ever had in six years of the subject.

"Fuck me, I'm wiped." Ginny collapsed dramatically onto a bench outside in one of the many courtyards.

"Not my type." Charlie smirked and sat down at the opposite end of the bench.

Ginny gasped, "You wound me!" She pouted one lip until Charlie laughed and poked her leg.

"You will get far in life with that pout, my girl." Charlie put on a wise voice and tapped her nose. "A pout in the hand is worth two in the tree."

"Hey, ginger-dyke, your boyfriend know you're a whore?" the male-sounding shout echoed across the courtyard from a group of Slytherins. Charlie's head snapped up, her jaw tense. Before she could say anything in retaliation Ginny called back.

"Does yours?" And pointed at a rather slow-looking, heavy-set boy, whose features indicated that he was angry without quite having grasped why yet. Charlie turned to Ginny and flashed a grin, but another voice came across the courtyard, this time female.

"What are you laughing at blonde-dyke?" Charlie's features instantly darkened. "Oh right, you're just proud of yourself for imperioing a pretty girl into being your girlfriend." The girl's voice turned sugary, "Now you won't have to be alone forever!"

Charlie yelled back "Jealous? Want me to teach you how to use your wand so you can find someone better looking than Inbred over there?" The girl's boyfriend was indeed rather odd looking. Ginny decided that his eyes were too far apart. The girl stepped forward and put her hands on her hips. She looked furious.

"No, I don't. Do you know what I'd rather do than be a dirty, dykey lesbian?" She widened her eyes for impact, "I'd rather eat dirt. I'd rather snog Peeves and then eat dirt. I'd rather snog Peeves, eat dirt and then pull out my own eyes because being a homo is still the most disgusting thing I can think of."

"You know," a light, rather elderly voice sounded from across the courtyard. "You know, I was once trapped on the Isle of Kappanappakokowo. I had no wand and no means to procure food other than hunting, and so for a month I only ate what I could find. The best thing I found to eat on that island was a bug that I have recently discovered is called the _flavo-sitas horridus_ - any ideas what that might mean?" The girl shook her head slowly. Dumbledore looked disappointed. "No? Ah, well then. Well it is more commonly referred to as the Popping beetle. The name, I imagine, comes from the very specific popping noise it makes as one bites into it. It is a very specific sound, one I shall never forget. And after that pop, the slightly congealed fluid that makes up that species of beetles' insides is released. Very high in iron, but absolutely disgusting. Truly horrible. It's sort of yellowish and opaque- well, you get the idea. Anyway, after that experience, I must say that nothing has ever disgusted me as much as the pop of the Popping Beetle as it is bitten into by human teeth." Dumbledore shivered slightly. "Disgusting." He looked rather coldly at the girl, who had stepped back into the safety of the group. "I think perhaps, Miss Tanner, you ought to broaden your horizons. There are many more disgusting things in the world than love; perhaps you should try to acquaint yourself with a few. Perhaps in detention, with Mr Filch- tomorrow night?"

Miss Tanner looked at her feet. "Yes Sir." She mumbled, and moved as quickly as it is physically possible to move while keeping your eyes firmly on your feet. She still managed to shoot a death glare at Charlie and Ginny as she passed, though. Ginny wondered at the seemingly limitless powers of Slytherins for evil.

**R&R, chaps. Cheers :)**


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